Cinco de Mayo is a date that commemorates the Battle of Puebla, Mexico of 1862 in which the Mexican troops triumphed over the French army. To understand this date better it is necessary to understand a little of the history of Mexico. In 1821 Mexico gained independence from Spain. However, the Mexican government had incurred large debts with France among other […]

Mexico had a rich history before the arrival of the Europeans. Notably they had many independent indigenous groups including the Aztec, Maya, Mixtec and Tolmec among others. These civilizations flourished at various times and in various regions of this large country over a period of 10,000 years.

After World War II, Germany’s capital of Berlin was divided up into four occupied zones, one for each of the major victors of the war: the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia then known as the Soviet Union. (See map below) By 1949, Germany itself had been carved up into two distinct countries, East Germany or the DDR (Deutsche Democratische Republik) under the control of Soviet Russia and West Germany or the BRD (Bundesrepublik Deutschland). By the 1950s, West Germany was experiencing an economic boom or Wirtschaftswunder andmany East Germans were leaving for the West. In response, the East German government built the Berlin wall or Berliner Mauer. The government claimed it was erected to protect its citizens from the fascist influences of West Germany. In reality, its main aim was to prevent any further citizens from leaving.